Little Bird [-hs]

016 - rainberry

NAOMI

I wait for him to say something, to confess his involvement, to reveal all of this as another ridiculous plot to blackmail me. It was all a test, a drill, a game.

But he doesn't reassure me. His hair blows wildly to the left, and the collar of his shirt ruffles. He presses his lips together.

"Let's get off the roof."

"No." I look out at the ocean, and I watch the moonlit waves churn.

"She's going to call the police. We have to go."

"She won't."

"Yes she will."

"I don't want to go," my voice cracks. I cross my shaking arms.

I see the pinprick of light at the end of the dark tunnel I've been stumbling through for years. We're playing hide and seek at the old house. Her sock peeks out under the couch and she's crying. Mom runs in, her thin arms grunting at the weight. But she lifts up the couch and my older sister crawls out. She slips back into the crevices of my mind, into the inescapable black water. The pinprick flickers.

"I know," Harry whispers in my ear. He rubs a circle into my back. His voice carries such confidence, I can't tell if he's responding to my comment, or if he too feels the memory ripping apart my mind.

He disappears from my side, and the cold sinks through my skin. My chest hollows. I watch his hands wrap the silk into a loose version of the clutch it once was.

"We have to go," he says. His voice edges with a sternness that sets my feet moving. Before I realize it, I'm at his side. He tucks a tight curl behind my ear, and he nods down to the roof next to us. It's a few feet away, slightly lower and smaller. "We're gonna jump. Do you know how?"

The roof has the same pebbly texture as ours, which will make for a rough but liveable landing. At its center is a doorway to a slanted room, the rooftop entrance. A few tanks are fastened near the door, but beyond that the surface is clear. It'll take a leap, but the chasm between us is no more than a person long. He nudges me with his elbow. I clear my throat. "Yeah."

He stands before me with wide eyes. He grabs my arm. "Don't stop moving, go foot first and bend your knees, all fours, curl your–"

"I know how to fall."

He lets go of my arm. "Okay."

He throws the clutch over the gap and watches it bounce to a stop next to the door. Then he chucks each of my heels, aiming for the same spot. He steps back a ways to get a running start, takes a breath, and looks between me and the landing.

"Are you sure?" His mouth is tight, no patience for games.

I scowl. "Go."

He runs to the ledge.

His arms extend to hold his balance as he soars through the air, knees tucked, and he makes an easy impact with the ground, pushing himself into a run and roll as he approaches the door. He looks up at me with a few bits of dirt in his hair. His shirt flew out from where he had it tucked, and he hasn't noticed yet but it's ripped along the sleeve.

"Can you do it?" He shouts, slowly standing. "I can catch you–"

"I can do it!" I scream. Sirens erupt around us, like a shrieking bird in my ear. My heart pounds.

Right before I run, I glance down at the ring on my gloved finger. The glimmering diamond is heavy. I wonder why she wears it every day if it's her fathers.

I race to the edge of the platform. The air whips at my scalp. My adrenaline thrums. My eyes narrow, and I let my feet leave the solid ground. I fall through the air, and roll through the pebbly roof like a plane crash landing. The little rocks fly up around me in a wild spray. My body slows, adrenaline preventing any pain from flaring. Harry holds out his hand to me.